


Touch is Torture

by Angelicat2



Series: Sheith Month 2019 [12]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angry Shiro (Voltron), Day 15-escape, Dissociation, Keith (Voltron) Whump, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Non-Consensual Touching, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Seizures, Sheith Month 2019, Touch-Averse Keith, non-epileptic seizures to be exact, protective red lion (Voltron), sex slavery mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-27 02:39:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19781557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelicat2/pseuds/Angelicat2
Summary: All five paladins get captured by the Galra. While in their cell, a Galra comes to talk to them and does a little bit more to Keith. Turns out that Keith doesn't react well to touch.





	Touch is Torture

Shiro woke to a pounding headache.

That was strange. Not the headache - he got plenty of those before - but the fact that he couldn't quite remember what had given him a headache. This felt like the times he'd been given sedatives while as a prisoner. Groaning, he blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dark lights.

Oh, right. They'd been captured by the Galra while at battle with them. The lions were safe though. Shiro remembered that the large mechanical machines had been well-hidden when they'd been taken down. However, the rest of the paladins hadn’t been. They had captured all five of them, as Shiro could see from the others littered around the room. 

Hunk, Lance, and Pidge were off to his right near the wall. Each were still knocked out with handcuffs on their arms which were behind them. Shiro himself was laying on the floor with his arms behind his back. Tugging a foot, he noticed that they really must have taken caution when restraining him because his feet were connected to the handcuffs on his wrists. A second later, he realized that they were no longer dressed in their paladin armor either, just the undersuits.

“Nggh,” a voice broke him out of his assessment as he glanced over towards the middle. Blinking, he stared at Keith who was just beginning to wake up. The younger moved slightly, groaning as he moved over onto his back. Slowly, his dark eyes slid open, blinking before turning to look around the room. When they fell on Shiro, he stared for a moment, “Sh’ro?” 

“I’m here, Keith,” Shiro spoke up as he heard the other three beginning to wake up too, “Just keep calm. We’ll get out of here. The princess and Coran will find us…”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” a new voice spoke as Shiro whipped his head to the door. There stood a large Galra, in armor that signified that he wasn’t quite in charge of the ship. Must have been the second-in-command then. He looked about like any other Galra Shiro had met in his time at the arena. He was a bit on the skinny side, limbs long yet strong. The sharp smirk on his face did nothing to ease Shiro’s fear as the man strolled closer, the door closing with a clank, “We are well hidden on this ship. No one will find us here.”

“Let them go,” Shiro growled as he saw Hunk and Pidge both move to sit up. Shiro did the same thing as did Keith, “You can have me, but release them.”

“So noble,” the Galra hummed before he marched forward, pulling on Shiro’s hair which he yelped at, feeling the burn in his hairline, “But I’m afraid we can’t do that. The Paladins of Voltron are valuable. And besides, I have plans for one of you.”

A chill went down Shiro’s spine as he noticed the man staring at Keith who glared back. By now, Lance had gotten up too, all three of the younger paladins watching this go down. The Galra stepped closer to Keith until he was right by Keith’s front. The Red Paladin just glared even more, looking ready to snarl up at the man.

“Spirited,” the Galra laughed before he suddenly stopped, staring at Keith with narrowed eyes, “Something about you…”

Shiro held his breath. He hoped the man didn’t figure out Keith was half Galra. That couldn’t go well.

“Something about you reminds me of the slave pits,” he spoke on as he rubbed his chin, tilting his head, “Hmmm….”

Shiro glared at the man, not seeing how he was connecting the arena to it all. Especially to Keith who Shiro desperately never wanted to have to experience that place.

“Not the arena,” he muttered as the younger glared still. A moment passed as Keith glanced at Shiro and then back up, “Hmmm...I’m thinking the bed slaves. Something...about it. You have that air to you. The looks, the attitude...before they are broken and compliant, of course. I bet I know exactly how you’ll react.”

And then the Galra touched Keith.

It was a simple touch at first, just claws gently brushing against the undersuit of the younger's armor right on his shoulder. But it was enough to make Keith flinch slightly, silently glaring the alien who just smirked.

“I thought you'd like this,” the man raised a brow, “Hm...oh well.”

And then the hand pressed harder, not cutting Keith's suit but clamping down with more pressure. Shiro nearly hissed as Keith bit his lip, holding in the whimper that wanted to break free.

Keith didn't like being touched by those he wasn't completely comfortable with. Even now, he had issues with the team touching him, especially if he didn't know it was going to happen. That time Hunk had hugged him back after training? Keith hide it well around the others, but as soon as Shiro had gotten to his own room, the younger had been inside, freaking out and halfway into a panic attack. Shiro had also heard from Keith about the Arus hugging him, and knew the only reason the Red Paladin hadn't had problems was because he never processed the touch and had completely forgotten about it. That was when their first robeast had hit them.

He was fine with Shiro though, letting him hug him and place his hand on his shoulder. He knew Shiro enough - the older had proven himself worthy of that back at the Garrison - to not feel frightened by his touch.

The Galra ran a hand down Keith's arm ever-so-slowly, just barely scraping the suit. Once he got to the raven-haired man's fingers, he carefully touched each in a circling manner. Keith glared at him harder, but Shiro could see the unsettled glint that appeared in Keith's eyes. Shiro himself was scared, ready to tear free to get Keith out of there.

The others looked worried, but Shiro knew they were more concerned about the Galra then they were what Keith's reaction would be. They hadn't noticed Keith was extremely touch averse. 

But the Galra apparently knew somehow. Maybe most of the sex slaves were the same way. Shiro couldn’t blame them for that. He had heard of them before, but luckily, he had never had to do the same in his time with the Galra. He just had to fight others and be experimented on...not that it was any better. He watched as the man’s hand scratched by Keith's neck, making the half human jerk back a bit.

“Oh,” the man whispered wickedly as he knelt down by the Red Paladin, “I see. You don't like my touch much. Well, all the better, I suppose.”

The hand pressed down just above Keith's collarbone. A sweatdrop appeared on the younger's skin as the Galra's hand went down to his stomach, over his slight abs.

“Not as impressive as the Champion's,” the man shrugged as he ran his hand up and down the other's front, causing Keith to shiver. Shiro bit his lip to stop himself from saying something he'd regret, “But suits you. Very pretty.”

Shiro nearly jumped up. He would have if his arms weren't tight behind his back and cuffed to his feet. That word was really terrible to use around Keith. It triggered really really bad memories, and Shiro could see it affect Keith now. The man paled quickly, eyes wide as he chewed into his lip. 

The others were lost on why Keith was freaking out. They looked back and forth in question before shaking their heads. Shiro knew they were glancing at him, but he refused to look away from what was happening to his best friend. 

The Galra moved his hand to Keith's knee, rubbing small circles into the right one. Keith tensed the more the alien rubbed until he was so tense, he'd no doubt snap with any more. 

“What is he doing?” Shiro heard Lance whisper to Hunk and Pidge, “This is creepy, but I thought they'd, you know, torture us by now.”

If only they knew how much this was torture to Keith. A minute passed before the Galra moved his hands away from Keith, seemingly to get up. Shiro noticed Keith quietly sigh in relief, and knew it wasn't over. The alien was up to something. The Galra always did worse to their prisoners. Shiro remembered late nights after his matches, when the Galra would dig into his wounds just to cause him more pain, to hear him cry out. When they'd make threats to watch him cower in fear.

Sure enough, the Galra plopped down behind Keith, settling in close to Keith's back. Shiro almost growled as the bigger man brushed his hands over Keith's neck again, making Keith pale even more. Clawed fingers brushed through silky hair with careful, calculated strokes. By now, the half-Galra started to shake weakly as his (and Shiro's) fear grew. An eternity later, the alien's appendages moved, pressing on the younger's sides. Keith's breathing picked up as he panicked silently, eyes the most terrified Shiro had ever seen them be. The hands slid from his shoulders to his ribs.

From his ribs to his stomach.

From his stomach to his waist.

From his waist to his hips.

He heard a squeak from the others, ones of shock, disgust, and fear. Shiro thinks he may have joined in with the noise, but he wasn't sure. All he could do was keep his eyes peeled on Keith's face. 

The Galra's hands went lower, until they were on Keith's inner thighs, about midway between his knees and hips. The Galra leaned over Keith, not needing to with his long arms but smirking as Keith's breathing sped up more. Shiro tested his bonds, feeling along them as his friend grew more pale with every breath. 

There were no weaknesses in it.

His arm was disconnected and unresponsive to his shoulder.

They were helpless.

Keith was helpless.

“S-sh-sh’ro,” Keith breathed out his name, and Shiro jerked with fear. It was a warning. A system they had set up a long time back. Back in the Garrison when Keith had his attacks. As far as Shiro was aware, he hadn’t gotten them in two years. 

Damn the Galra.

And just like that, Keith slumped backward stiffly onto the alien behind him. Said alien startled at the unexpected motion, looking ready to slap his claws down on the other’s cheek for disobedience. The hand came close to Keith’s face, but the Galra pulled back when Keith didn’t react at all, gaze blank.

“What’s happening?” Hunk mumbled nervously, panicking as the alien poked an unresponsive Keith who stared ahead with a vacant glaze in his eyes, body slack. Shiro could tell the younger’s hands were twitching slightly, even though he couldn’t actually see them. His leg jerked in minuscule, barely noticeable motions.

“Leave him alone!” Shiro screamed as the Galra held onto Keith's shoulder. Keith stayed unresponsive, barely breathing as the room went nearly silent, “Don't touch him!”

“What is wrong with the boy?” The Galra smirked but Shiro could tell he was still unsettled, “Perhaps High Priestess Haggar would like to examine hi-”

“Don't you dare!” Shiro felt his vision warp red as his anger settled in. Haggar had been the one to take his arm. The witch was why he had a glowing alien wound back after the wormhole incident. Haggar was the reason for his nightmares every night. For the experiments.

She was not getting ahold of Keith. Not his closest friend. Never.

Not sure how he did it, Shiro yanked hard on his cuffs. They stretched until he felt his shoulder burn so badly that he would have cried. Twisting his limp prosthetic roughly in loose circles, he viciously thrashed his weight to the side. With a loud snap, the cuff broke off, rendering the rest of the restraints useless. Not bothering to get feeling back in his arm, or even get his arm up to power again, he dove forward.

The Galra backed up in shock. Shiro felt absolutely no remorse as he slammed the alien so hard into the wall that blood splattered. The Galra slid unconscious to the floor, most likely already dead.

Shiro growled savagely deep in his throat, glaring at the enemy before racing to Keith's side. Snapping the band off his own arm, he quickly powered up his hand, burning through the cuffs, shutting them off. Keith's whole body slumped a little more without the restraints to hold him in place. The vacant stare was still there, like Keith wasn't there but his body was. 

Coping mechanism. That's what the Garrison counselors had claimed after Shiro had accidentally set it off. He'd just barely touched Keith's shoulder and the other had frozen up, going paper white in seconds, eyes wandering unfocused on everything around him. After he got Keith to the infirmary, it took almost half an hour to bring Keith back out of his own mind.

This was way worse. 

Gently pushing Keith's limbs into a more comfortable position, and taking lots of caution to not touch the other, he raced to the younger three. He freed them quickly and they stared at him with depressed eyes.

“What,” Hunk started only to look ready to throw up, “What do we do n-now?”

“That was horrible,” Lance whispered beneath his breath, “I'll never ever make fun of Keith's touching problem ever again.”

“Shiro?” Pidge gazed at him questioningly.

“We just have to let him come back to us,” Shiro clenched his fist and stopped them from protesting, “Trust me. Touching will make it worse and cause it to go longer. All we can do is get him into the castle and be there for him.”

Silence.

“Pidge, can you still use your computer? Get us out of here.”

“Just gotta get it first!” She exclaimed, “I think they stored our stuff just around the corner.”

Shiro nodded as he settled down to gather Keith into his arms, making sure to keep his touch as light and on safe areas as possible. Said friend’s head lolled against his shoulder, still frighteningly blank. Shiro felt himself shudder as someone knocked on the door. It seemed like weeks, but the door finally opened.

The team sprang into action. Hunk roared as he body-slammed the closest Galra. Lance took the other out by throwing a few punches and kicks, almost in a certain Red Paladin’s style.

“It’s so unfair,” the teen shook his head as Shiro strolled through the door, “The first time I actually use Mullet’s training he taught me, and he’s not even awake to see it. It took me weeks to get that down!”

“We’ll just have to show him later,” Pidge frowned as they started for the next hall, “We _will_ show him.”

Nobody challenged her as they rushed into an open room. Inside were their bayards, armor, and even Keith’s knife, all piled in the corner in a disorganized cluster. Obviously, the Galra running this ship didn’t care much about their equipment. Nor had they thought the paladins would get free.

“Let’s suit up,” Shiro motioned to the armor before gently settling Keith down, “Someone will need to take Keith’s things. It’s not a good idea to put it on him. Besides, it’ll only add weight.”

“Got it,” Hunk answered as he shuffled Keith's gear into his arms, “How are we getting away though?”

“I can always hack into a hangar and get us a shuttle,” Pidge spoke as she messed with her holo computer, “It's going to take a moment bu-”

A loud roar ripped them from their thoughts. The room they were in shook as some tiles fell from the ceiling. Shiro held Keith just a little tighter as a smirk lit up his face.

“No need,” he started for the door, “Our way out is here.”

And just like that, the hallway by the door was destroyed. Red hung there with her jaws wide open, sealing in any oxygen and stabilizing the artificial gravity. Shiro ushered the others into the lion before rushing in himself. Sitting down on the floor, he carefully held Keith.

“Who's gonna pilot the lion?” Hunk asked with a raised brow, “Isn't that Keith's job?”

A small rumble echoed around them.

“Take us home, Red,” Shiro whispered softly under his breath as the lion thrashed her head, destroying more of the ship as the three younger shouted out. They barely managed to hold onto something to anchor themselves as Red ripped the ship apart, leaving claw dents into the dark purple metal. For a moment, they could feel a burst of her pain flare through their bodies.

Under it all, was fear. And Shiro knew it wasn’t the lion’s.

And then Red let out an even bigger roar before rushing away into the endless space around them, flying faster than ever before. Even with the speed, it took nearly a varga to get back to the castle. Just as the giant machine settled down on her hangar, Shiro felt Keith shift slightly in his lap. Glancing at him, he was glad to see the other more aware of his surroundings. 

Keith blinked exhaustedly at him, eyes hazy with sleep, but not unseeing. He glanced around before his gaze settled back on Shiro.

“Sh-sh’ro?”

“Yeah,” Shiro smiled fondly as he wrapped an arm around Keith loosely, “I’m here, buddy. You’re okay.”

“Sore,” Keith confessed, looking confused and a little freaked out now, “What...What ‘appened?”

“What do you remember?” Shiro had to ask, already sure he knew the answer to the question, “It’s okay. Just what do you remember last?”

“Uh,” Keith scrunched his brows down, blinking rapidly before looking around Red’s cockpit in even more confusion, “We...We were f’ghting the Ga’ra and…”

Keith paused, starting to tilt his head but stopping as his grimaced, “I d’n’t reme’ber. It ‘appened ag’in, didn’t it?”

Shiro just sighed sadly before nodding his head. Keith glanced to the side before looking down at his legs and back up.

“Did it ‘appen again?”

His voice cracked part way through and Shiro felt his own heart break into a million pieces. He shook his head as he rested Keith to his shoulder.

“No,” he reassured him with a gentle hug, one that Keith could easily break free from, “He didn’t do anything besides touch.”

“Good,” Keith yawned suddenly, going lax in his arms, “Th-thanks, Shiro.”

“Let’s just get you to bed,” Shiro smiled as Keith all but passed out in his arms, exhausted beyond what Shiro had ever seen him to be, “I got you.”

The cockpit was silent for a moment. The three youngest had yet to move, watching him cradling the other to his chest. They opened their mouths to ask questions when the comms. system pinged. The screen lit up as the channel opened, Allura popping up on screen. She looked like a mess, hair in a rat’s nest, bags under her eyes, and a scared expression on her face. She was still in her pink battle suit.

“Paladins!” She shouted as a grin lit up her face, “Are you okay? We were just heading to find you when the Red Lion rushed into the hangar.”

“We’re all okay,” Shiro responded quietly, “But Keith needs some time to...heal.”

“What happened?” Allura asked with wide eyes, “Is Keith hurt? Should I get Coran to turn on a pod?”

“No,” Shiro shook his head before smiling at her, “Thanks, Allura. But this is a different kind of healing.”

“I see,” her gaze turned a bit sad before she gazed at them all, “Well, I advise that we all take a small break. Perhaps a day or two. Get some sleep though.”

“Thanks, princess,” Shiro responded as he held the younger in his arms. The screen popped out of existence as Shiro started for the ramp as Red opened her mouth.

“Shiro?” A small voice had him turning around. Pidge stood there, looking smaller than he had ever seen her, “Is...Is Keith going to be okay?”

“He will be,” Shiro reassured her with a small smile, “He just needs some time.”

“We’ll help out,” Lance spoke as all three nodded, “I mean...If that’s okay.”

“That…” Shiro grinned with warmth flooding through him, “That would be great. I think Keith will like that.”

“We’re his friends,” Hunk nodded as his brown eyes stared at Keith sadly. Said paladin snuggled into Shiro’s shoulder more with a tiny huff, “We want to help him. Let me know what food he likes...Maybe...maybe I can make something for him when he wakes up?”

“Thanks, guys,” Shiro nodded, “That means a lot.”

“Yeah,” Pidge grinned back as she waved him off, “Now get him to bed.”

“Will do,” Shiro laughed softly before walking down the ramp. Keith would be okay, and maybe this would make them all closer.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope the ending wasn't too awkward. I wasn't sure how to end it exactly...


End file.
